Democrats: Ignoring Black Women Voters? | AM Joy

>>> THIS WAS A TELLING WEEK IN THE BAT FOLLOW ARE THE FUTURE OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. IN MONTANA SENATOR BERNIE
SANDERS' CONNECTION TO WHITE WORKING CLING CLASS VOTERS WAS
THE TEST AS HE SUPPORTED DEMOCRAT ROB QUIST FOR A HOUSE
SEAT. QUIST FOCUSED HIS CAMPAIGN ON
HEALTH CARE AND ECONOMIC ISSUES BUT HE ULTIMATELY LOST.
THE DNC IS FACING PRESSURE FROM ANOTHER VOTING BLOC IT'S COME TO
RELY ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN. GROUP OF BLACK WOMEN WRITE
"ORGANIZING WITHOUT THE ENGAGE. OF BLACK WOMEN WILL PROVE TO BE
A LOSING STRATEGY AND THERE'S MUCH TOO MUCH AT STAKE TO IGNORE
BLACK WOMEN." JOINING ME POLITICAL STRATEGIST
L. JOY WILLIAMS AND CRYSTAL BALL AUTHOR OF "REVERSING THE
APOCALYPSE." L. JOY, I START WITH YOU AND
TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE LETTER YOU WROTE.
I WANT TO READ ONE MORE CLIP OF THAT LETTER WRITTEN BY YOU AND
DOZENS, A COUPLE DOZEN OTHER WOMEN.
IT SAYS "WE HAVE VOTED AND ORGANIZED OUR COMMUNITIES WITH
LITTLE SUPPORT OR INVESTMENT FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR
VOTER MOBILIZATION EFFORTS. WE HAVE SHOWN HOW BLACK WOMEN
LEAD, YET THE PARTY'S LEADERSHIP IN WASHINGTON HAVE FEW OR NO
BLACK WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP. MORE AND MORE THEY ARE RUNNING
FOR ELECTIONS AND WINNING WITH SCANT SUPPORT FROM THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY STRUCTURE." EXPLAIN.
>> I COME FROM A SCHOOL THAT BELIEVES A CLOSED MOUTH DOESN'T
GET FED AND THESE THINGS THAT WE HIGHLIGHT IN THE LETTER IS NOT
SOMETHING NEW. IT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR
COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR MANY ELECTIONS THAT THE PARTY
ITSELF DOESN'T INVEST IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE PARTICULARLY FOR
PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND AT A TIME WHEN ALL OF THE THINK PIECES AND
ALSO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S CURRENT STRATEGY AT LEAST THE
PUBLIC STRATEGY RIGHT NOW IS INVESTING AND LISTENING TO OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE COALITION THAT BELONG TO THE DNC, NOTICEABLY
ABSENT IS AN INVESTMENT AND A LISTENING TOUR OF BLACK WOMEN
LEADERS AND BLACK WOMEN AS A VOTING BLOC, WHEN WE ARE
PRIMARILY THE MOST LOYAL VOTING BLOC TO THE PARTY.
SO WHAT WE BELIEVED IS PUTTING WORDS AND CONTINUING TO SHOUT
FROM THE ROOFTOPS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THE ORGANIZING.
WE DO IT WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT FROM A PARTY
STRUCTURE, AND FROM OTHER DONORS, SO WE DO THAT ALREADY.
NOW WE'RE SCREAMING LOUDLY THAT YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THIS
BASE, BECAUSE THERE'S A SERIOUS CRACK IN THE FOUNDATION OF THEIR
SUPPORT. >> TOM PEREZ RESPONDS AND SAID
THE FOLLOWING, A DNC RESPONSE SENT TO A.M. JOY YESTERDAY
"WHILE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR PARTY AND
OF THE RESISTANCE THEY ARE TOO OFTEN TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
WE ARE CONVENING WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DISCUSS
HOW WE CAN BETTER ENGAGE THE ISSUES CONFRONTING
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN AND PARTNER WITH THEM TO ELECT MORE
LEADERS WHO SHARE THEIR VALUES." DOES THAT STATEMENT SATISFY YOU?
>> I WISH IT WAS A DIRECT STATEMENT, OBVIOUSLY I LOVE YOUR
SHOW AND IT IS A DIRECT STATEMENT TO THE SHOW, THERE
WASN'T THIS IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE LETTER
AND THE SENTIMENT WITHIN IT. LOOK, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR JUST
THE WORDS. WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR A PRESS
RELEASE RESPONSE AND EVEN IN THAT RESPONSE IT SAYS WE'RE
LISTENING TO WOMEN BUT OUR RESPONSESPONSE WE ARE TALKING B.
WE SAID BLACK WOMEN, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT A RESPONSE TO AND THAT
DOESN'T JUST MEAN HIRING ONE OR TWO PEOPLE TO BE THE FACE AND AT
THE PARTY FOR BLACK WOMEN. THAT'S REALLY, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT A DEEP INVESTMENT. SO IT'S NOT ONLY WITH HIRES.
IT'S NOT ONLY THE PARTY GOING INTO COMMUNITIES IN OCTOBER FOR
NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HIRING
PEOPLE FOR STRATEGY, HIRING PEOPLE AND RECRUITING
CANDIDATES. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AT ALL
LEVELS OF INVESTMENT, AND THAT'S WHAT'S MISSING.
>> AND YOU KNOW, CRYSTAL, I WANT TO BRING KNEW THIS.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SINCE THE ELECTION HAS BEEN DOING THIS
DANCE WHERE THEY SEEM TO BE CHASING THE BERNIE SANDERS
SUPPORTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY, TOM PEREZ DID THIS BIG TOUR HE
WENT AROUND AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG ON THE SIDE
OF WHITE VOTERS, NOT LOOKING AT THAT PRETTY DEMONSTRABLE DROP IN
BLACK VOTER TURNOUT THAT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH VOTERS
OPPRESSION AND MESSAGING. EVEN HILLARY CLINTON, THIS WAS
EVEN HILLARY CLINTON THE OTHER DAY AT WELLESLEY.
>> A LOT OF OUR FELLOW AMERICANS HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE EXISTING
ECONOMIC SOCIAL POLITICAL AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS OF OUR
COUNTRY. THEIR ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND
CULTURAL ANXIETY MUST BE ADDRESSED OR THEY WILL CONTINUE
TO SIGN UP TO BE FOOT SOLDIERS IN THE ONGOING CONFLICT BETWEEN
US AND THEM. >> AND CRYSTAL, ARE YOU
CONCERNED THAT THE PARTY HAS BECOME SO OBSESSED WITH TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT AND PSYCH OUT WHITE WORKING CLASS VOTERS THAT
THEY ARE FORGETTING THAT BLACK VOTERS REALLY ARE THE CORE OF
THE BASE AND ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL TURN OUT IF YOU REACH OUT
TO THEM? >> WELL, ANYTHING THAT THE PARTY
DOES GIVEN WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, AND NOT JUST OUR LOSS IN
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE,
OUR MASSIVE LOSSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IN GOVERNORS MANSIONS
AND AT THE STATE LEGISLATIVE LEVEL, EVERYTHING WE DO HAS TO
BE YES, AND. WE HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY DO EXACT Y
WHAT L. JOY IS SAYING AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PAYING
ATTENTION TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GOTTEN US AS FAR AS THEY HAVE
GOTTEN US. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS AND I
THINK THIS AFFECTS OUR APPEAL IN WHITE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIES,
I THINK IT AFFECTS OUR APPEAL AND PART OF WHY AFRICAN-AMERICAN
TURNOUT WAS DOWN, WHY LATINOS DID NOT BACK US THE WAY WE
EXPECTED TO RUNNING AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.
WE DO NOT AS A PARTY HAVE AN ECONOMIC VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
>> BUT REAL QUICK, WE ARE ALMOST OUT OF TIME BUT I WANT TO ASK
YOU ABOUT THAT. IN MONTANA WE RAN A PETRIE DISH
EXPERIMENT. THERE WERE SOME NATIVE AMERICANS
BUT THEIR VOTES ARE PRETTY SUPPRESSED AROUND MONTANA.
THIS WAS WHITE VOTERS, REPUBLICANS VERSUS DEMOCRATS.
BERNIE SANDERS WENT IN THERE, SUPPORTED QUIST, THE DEMOCRAT,
HE RAN ON BERNIE'S PLATFORM. HE RAN THE EXPERIMENT THAT
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ALL ABOUT ECONOMICS, ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC
ISSUES. THERE WAS NO RACIAL ISSUE OR YOU
KNOW, IDENTITY POLL TINGZ. DEMOCRATS COULDN'T WIN THERE.
SO WHY IS THAT THEORY VIABLE IF IT CAN'T WORK IN MONTANA?
>> IT'S NOT A PETRIE DISH BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN A
VACUUM. THE ADD GIANFORTE RAN AGAINST
QUIST CALLED HIM NANCY PELOSI IN A COW HOY HAT, TYING HIM TO THE
INCREDIBLY DAMAGED NATIONAL BRAND AND PART OF THE PROBLEM
ISN'T A POLICY OR AN ECONOMIC ISSUE.
IT'S ALSO THE WAY THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN AND SELECTED CANDIDATES.
WHAT DOES NANCY PELOSI MEAN? OUT OF TOUCH ELITE.
SHE MEANS TIED INTO THE DONOR COMMUNITIES AND I'M NOT EVEN
TALKING ABOUT WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OR NOT.
THAT'S THE BRAND -- >> BUT -- HOLD ON, WHEN WEWE FOS
ON A PARTY PICKING CANDIDATES BASED ON THEIR CONNECTIONS TO
THE DONOR CLASS RATHER THAN THEIR CONNECTIONS TO THE
COMMUNITY, THAT'S HOW WE GET THIS NATIONAL BRAND.
IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE ONE RACE TO FIX IT.
IT TAKES A WHOLE RE-BRANDING OF THE PARTY.
>> OKAY, WE'RE OUT OF TIME BUT I WILL MAKE THE POINT AND I THINK
IT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT, NANCY PELOSI ACTUALLY MANAGES TO WIN
ELECTIONS. PEOPLE DOWN HER AND SORT OF TIE
HER OF WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE PARTY.
>> WAIT, WE'VE BEEN DEVASTATED IN THE HOUSE.
WE HAVE THE SMALLEST CAUCUS SINCE RECONSTRUCTION.
THAT'S NOT WINNING. >> BUT THAT WAS A PERFECTLY
BERNIE SANDERS RACE. HE RAN THAT EXPERIMENT IN
MONTANA, IF HIS MESSAGE IS SO POWERFUL TO WHITE WORKING CLASS
PEOPLE, WHY DIDN'T IT WORK? >> BECAUSE HE IS STILL PART OF
AN INCREDIBLY DAMAGED DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
>> BERNIE IS? >> NO, ROB QUIST.
QUIST IN MONTANA. >> WE DON'T HAVE TIME.
HE RAN ON BERNIE SANDERS PLATFORM.
IT'S AN INTERESTING DEBATE AND BOTH OF YOU MAKE GREAT POINTS.
THANK YOU BOTH. >>> THE DNC'S JAMIE HARRISON
WILL BE BACK AFTER A QUICK BREAK AND WILL RESPOND TO WHAT HE JUST
HEARD AND COMING UP IN OUR NEXT HOUR I'LL BE JOINED BY

Democrats: Ignoring Black Women Voters? | AM Joy | MSNBC

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